Agenda
Agenda — Friday, 14 November 2025
Agenda — Friday, 14 November 2025
Plan your day at Swiss Robotics Day 2025 with our comprehensive program of talks, workshops, and demonstrations.
This is a preliminary programme. Full agenda and timings to be published soon.
08:15 Registration is open
9:10 - 9:30 Welcome and opening remarks
- Prof. Aude Billard, Head of LASA laboratory at EPFL and Lead of the Innovation Booster Robotics and Vice-President of the Swiss Robotics Association
- Prof. Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, President of EPFL and Head of the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials (LMSC) at EPFL, renowned expert in nanomaterials and quantum technologies for sustainable electronics
- Isabelle Moret, Head of the Department of Economy, Innovation, Employment, and Heritage.
9:30 - 10:30 KEYNOTES • Sustainability in robotics
MODERATOR: Prof. Robert Katzschmann, Assistant Professor of Robotics at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering ETH Zürich
- “Under Construction: Building with Robots Beyond the Automation Myth” – Prof. Stefana Parascho, Head of the Laboratory for Creative Computation (CRCL) at EPFL, specialist in robotic construction and computational design
- “Robotics and AI technology to end the overuse of chemicals in agriculture” – Steve Tanner, Chief Technology Officer at Ecorobotix, leader in sustainable agricultural robotics and precision weeding solutions
- “Robots Searching for Life Beyond Sight, Sound, and Reach” – Prof. Stefano Mintchev, Head of the Environmental Robotics Laboratory (ERL) at ETH Zürich, researcher in bio-inspired and energy-efficient robotic systems for sustainability applications
- “Nature inspired robotics for nature protection” – Prof. Mirko Kovac, Head of the Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in Zürich and EPFL, expert in robot design, hardware development and multi-modal sensor mobility
10:30 - 10:45 Panel: Sustainable robotics - global issues; Can robots be sustainable?
MODERATOR: Prof. Aude Billard, Head of LASA laboratory at EPFL and Lead of the Innovation Booster Robotics and Vice-President of the Swiss Robotics Association and Guillem Martinez Roura, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics Programme Officer at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for digital technologies.
- Alberto Bombelli, Senior Simulation Engineer at SBB CFF FFS , will bring insights on deploying robotics and digital tools for infrastructure maintenance and tunnel operations.
- Sylvia, Stocker, Founder & CEO, Change Agent of Arabesque, will explore human-centred approaches to robotics, AI, and sustainable business transformation.
- Sebastien Perroud, Founder & Group CEO of IAR Group, will share perspectives on industrial automation, robotics integration, and scaling innovation in manufacturing.
Prof. Ena Lloret-Fritschi, Assistant Professor and Director at the Institute of Sustainable Architecture and Technology (AAM-USI) and Principal Investigator at NCCR Digital Fabrication, will discuss how digital and robotic fabrication can drive sustainable and resource-efficient construction.
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 - 11:45 KEYNOTES • Trends in robotics research
MODERATOR: Prof. Dario Floreano, Professor at Laboratory Intelligent Systems at EPFL and former Director of the Swiss National Center of Competence in Robotics (NCCR Robotics)
- “From Drone Racing to Space: Pushing the Limits of Vision-Based AI” – Prof. Davide Scaramuzza, Head of the Robotics and Perception Group at the University of Zurich, pioneer in autonomous navigation and real-time perception for drones and mobile robots
- “What if it breaks?” – Prof. Anna Valente, Head of the Automation, Robotics and Machines Laboratory (ARM) at SUPSI, specialist in advanced manufacturing and industrial robotics for sustainable production systems
11:45 - 12:15 KEYNOTES • Industry Trends by Swissmem, Robotics and Factory Automation Sector
INTRODUCTIONS: Roger Sonderegger and Rolf Rihs (Swissmem, Industry Sector Robotics & Factory Automation) will present the Swiss robotics and automation industry cluster.
- “Robots at the Heart of Clinical Interventions” – Jean-Marc Collet, Stäubli, will highlight how robotics is transforming clinical applications, bringing added values both to the patients and the medical teams.
“Swiss Excellence in Motion: Innovation for Global Automotive OEMs” – Gabriel Moser, Head of Business Unit Solutions at Güdel AG, will present how Swiss engineering and full integration deliver advanced press-automation systems – from simulation to 24/7 operation – trusted by leading automotive OEMs worldwide.
“From Simulation to Reality: Streamlining Vision System Setup for Bin Picking Robots” – Cedric Lienhard, Mikron, will share practical insights on bridging simulation and real-world deployment to optimize robotic vision systems.
12:15 - 12:30 Start-up Carousel
MODERATOR: Jordi Montserrat, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Venturelab Ltd, and Co-Managing Director of Venture Kick
- Ermes Zamboni, Co-Founder and CEO of Jaipur Robotics AG, where he is redefining the waste management and Waste-to-Energy industry through AI-driven automation and robotics.
- Dr. Lauren Vasey, Co-Founder of Impact Build, develops patent-pending robotic processes and deployable factory setups that radically reduce labor, cost, and emissions, enabling impact-driven profitability at scale.
- Dr. Francesco Stella, Co-founder and CEO of Embodied AI SA, a Swiss spinoff dedicated to developing safe robotic systems for human spaces.
12:30 - 13:40 Presentations by Swiss Robotics Association
- Prof. Aude Billard, Head of LASA laboratory at EPFL and Lead of the Innovation Booster Robotics and one of the two Vice-Presidents of the Swiss Robotics Association
- Dr. Nicola Tomatis, CEO at BlueBotics SA and President of Swiss Robotics Association
12:40 - 13:00 IBR - Innovation Booster - Robotics
- Prof. Alisa Rupenyan-Vasileva, Rieter Endowed Professorship in Industrial AI at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Expert at Innosuisse
- Dr. Anca Rusu, Program Coordinator at Innovation Booster Robotics
- Highlights on three funded projects:
- Aithon Robotics – Access solution for hazardous tasks
- Friederike Biffar, Co-Founder Aithon Robotics
- PRESSMAP – PRESSure MAPping for real-time evaluation
- Quentin Praz, Co-founder of the LaxiPed startup
- Aithon Robotics – Access solution for hazardous tasks
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
13:00 - 14:00 Matchmaking
14:00 - 16:00 Exhibition only
For a dedicated two-hour period, the event will center exclusively on the exhibition. Participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with exhibitors, fostering meaningful exchanges and networking opportunities. This time is designed to facilitate in-depth discussions and connections between attendees and exhibitors.
16:00 - 17:00 Workshops
16:00 - 17:00 Matchmaking
16:00 - 17:00 Matchmaking
16:00 - 17:00 Accelerate Sales for your Tech (by Sparksense) workshop
This is a 60-min interactive workshop to gain a strong foundation of Business Development fundamentals. The goal is for each participant to take away at least one actionable solution to a burning commercial problem for his/her company.
16:00 - 17:00 Execution at Speed: Lessons from Aerospace for Robotics Founders (A Swisscom Ventures Deeptech Session featuring vdot)
Swisscom Ventures presents an interactive deeptech workshop led by Lauren Lyons and Santi Udomkesmalee. Drawing from their real-world experience at SpaceX and in startups, they will share practical frameworks showing how robotics teams can simplify, iterate, and build complex systems quickly and rigorously, even under high-stakes conditions.
17:15 - 17:45 Industry roundtable with sponsors
- Kevin Moser, Area Sales Manager at FAULHABER Drive Systems
- Alexander Schlaepfer, Partner at Swisscom Ventures
- Dr. Mario Mauerer, Global Business Development Manager Robotics at maxon
- Jonas Eichenberger, Head Development Robotics, Helbling Technik AG
17:45 - 18:00 Announcement of Booth Award Winners, Closing Remarks and Group Photos
18:00 - 19:00 Apéro
19:00 - 20:00 Apéro
Note: This agenda is subject to change. A detailed version with speaker names and session descriptions will be shared closer to the event date.